I've shot one a handful of times, and they shoot pretty well. I'm not well versed in 1911's, but in all it seemed well built and solidly performing. I haven't heard anything bad about them specifically, except some people bashing on it for it being a Taurus. If you're looking for affordable Colt-alikes, I've heard Rock Island 1911's are pretty good for the price as well.

I have owned 2 Taurus 1911s, both were fantastic. One blue and one stainless, the blue one I bought in 2008 and shot it weekly, 50 to 200 rounds, never one malfunction. Accurate and fun, I did not like the ambi-safety and sold it. The stainless one I bought in Jan. 2010 and loved it. Finish was very durable, liked the straight 8 sights, trigger was good, not great, but solidly "good". Again, superb accuracy and reliability. I got a hankerin' for a lightweight, stainless, commander size 1911 and sold the Taurus to help fund a Kimber Pro Carry stainless - which is a very good 1911.
1911s are like sex, the worst I ever had was great.

i grew up shooting colt mk4 ser 70's
long story short getting back into 1911's i tried a RIA and it was ok
rough 1911 not really fit and finish
got a deal on a new Taurus 1911 and man what a diference.
i have taken it to two class's at OFA and by now shot over 1,000 rounds with no
FTF FTE what so ever and it eats anything i put in it.
good gun if i had the cash i would have another.

I have one I got for a good deal. I dont shoot it much so I can not speak for that. I use to have a Para P-14, I use to have a Kimber I didnt shoot them much either and people were willing to give me good money for them. I dont think my Taurus is any less gun and packed with more features then either of them.

I currently have 3 1911's. One Colt in .38 Super that came from my dad, the Taurus cause everyone needs a .45 1911, and Kimber 1911/22.

The only 2 difference I know to be aware of is on the rails on the Taurus are a different size so if you get a railed version holster selection is less. Apparently there is something different about the sight mounting.

Actually the PT1911 AR holster selection is non existant. I've been on the waiting list at Brigade Gun Leather since around December to get a holster made for mine. The rails are longer than other gun manufacturing rails which is why you can't find a true holster for it. Sure you could get a general holster for it but we all know how badly they end up fitting.

You have a working knowledge of metalurgy and metal manufacturing and you can't tell a forged piece from a cast piece?
I am curious, please explain.

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:laugh::thumbup:

It's your $$ and I've been involved in enough of these that I should know to walk away, but please do some serious research from people who KNOW 1911's and confuse cast/forged, etc. Maybe listen to the smiths that turn out full house customs and build on a handful of makers.

Can anyone give a fair and honest evaluation of the Taurus 1911? I've never dealt with them and haven't even looked at values.

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As a current owner of a PT1911 and a previous owner of 1911's by :Colt, Remington Rand, Federal Arms, Charles Daly, Kimber (in that order) I can report my experience as positive. By the way the only 1911 I was disappointed with was the Kimber, that particular pistol was a lemon/jam-o-matic. I sold the others for various reasons on budget deficit/opportunity concerns.
It is a high value pistol for the price.

There are better pistols for more money. But at the budget price point it delivers for me, I have about 1000 rounds through it now. I shoot in 100-250 round sessions, but I have a few pistols to cycle through. I guess I am the luckiest man alive as I currently have 4 Taurus pistols and they are all adequate performers. I did have issues with one Taurus model, but that was a mag issue which Taurus replaced 2 for 1.

One of my buddies picked up taurus 1911 and I have put a fair amount of trigger time behind it. My overall impressions on it are for the price its good, the fit and finish are not the best, the accuracy is good, its a series 80 trigger, the reliability from what I hear is hit or miss though (his has had problems with FTE). If your just getting into 1911's I suggest picking something up from the rock island or metro arms/firestorm its the best bang for your buck. You get a series 70 trigger(which is why alot of us like 1911's), the fit and finish is generally better than taurs, and from what I has seen and heard a much more realiable firearm. Although if you have the cash (around $700 if you shop) go for the ruger SR1911 its got a great fit and finish, series 70 trigger, come standard with many features (bevertail, extended controls, commander hammer, stainless finish), very reliable (shot 3 different ones out of box new no problems), and its made in america.

The Taurus 1911 was a very good deal with great value when first introduced  Taurus included a lot of standard features that were options or custom for other guns of the time. Competition is good  this caused other mfrs to begin matching Taurus standard product  the recently announced Ruger SR1911 looks interesting!

The Taurus we have in our rental pool is a fine shooting weapon; very accurate and reliable. I like it better than our Kimbers or Springfield, but the S&W is a close tie.

I have a PT1911ALR which is the alloy frame model with rail. It has a good tight frame to slide fit. I have switched out the original hammer with a Wilson Combat and added a Hogue wraparound grip to it.

This particular PT1911 is a 2010 manufacture. It came with Novak 3 dot sights, not the Heine straight 8's like the earlier models. It is accurate, and other than a couple soft hammer strikes after installing the Wilson Hammer that were cured, it has been totally reliable--no FTE, FTF, jams, etc.....It also eats all type of ammo no problems at all.

To those who don't like the series 80 safety mechanism, remove it and get the space filling shim from Brownells, and you are good to go. I did this on my PT1911 and it actually help smooth out the trigger pull slightly.

Had mine for just over 2 years (PT1911 AL). Over 3K rds. without a problem. Mostly 230 LRN handloads. Only cons for me are the ambi safety and as another mentioned, the finish on the slide is thin and wears very quickly. My previous 1911's have been plain Jane Colt Government, Combat Commander, Officer's and a Springfield Basic, so this is my first non-traditional style 1911 and I am overall very happy. The plastic grips were kinda cheesy so I replaced them with some cheapie wood ones that I refinished.

Knocked out about 300 rds. last weekend and getting set to do several hundred more this weekend.

I have been seeing lately (and not only in this thread) that people would rather complain about what someone else says instead of focusing on the op questions. Are we really so picky or unhappy that everybody has to be right? To answer the question on forged or cast, took 10 seconds to look on Taurus website. It states forged frame, slide, and barrel. 2nd sentence in the pt1911 introduction. Anybody could have looked it up instead of create hostility between us members.

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